The present invention relates to garments and, more particularly, to hazardous duty garments such as, for example, firefighter garments that provide flame, heat and moisture protections to a wearer.
A commonly-used type of hazardous duty garment is a firefighting ensemble. A typical firefighting ensemble comprises a turnout coat and pant, each of which has an outer shell, a moisture barrier located within the outer shell and thermal barrier. The outer shell is constructed of a flame and heat resistant material such as woven aramid and/or polybenzamidazole (xe2x80x9cPBI,xe2x80x9d a trademark of Celanese Corp.) fibers. Commercially available aramid materials include NOMEX and KEVLAR (both are trademarks of E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., Inc.).
The moisture barrier typically includes a membrane layer, which is moisture vapor permeable but impermeable to liquid moisture, bonded to a substrate of a flame and heat resistant material such as the aramid material of the outer shell, only lighter in weight. The thermal barrier is typically positioned within the moisture barrier in order to prevent it from absorbing the liquid moisture that may penetrate the outer shell. The thermal barrier typically comprises a needlepunch or batting of an aramid fiber.
The moisture barrier and thermal barrier typically are permanently attached to each other about their peripheries by stitching so that they function as a unitary component of the garment and are often referred to together as the inner liner of the garment. Typically, the inner liner is removeably attached to the outer shell about its periphery by strips of hook and loop material and/or slide fasteners, snaps or buttons.
Each layer of the ensemble must meet the requirements spelled out in the National Fire Protection Association (xe2x80x9cN.F.P.A.xe2x80x9d) standard 1971 (xe2x80x9cProtective Clothing for Structural Firefightingxe2x80x9d) that includes standards for heat and flame resistance and tear strength. For example, an outer shell of a firefighter garment must be able to resist burning, melting, dripping and separation at a temperature of 500xc2x0 F. for five minutes. The moisture barrier typically is made of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (xe2x80x9cPTFExe2x80x9d) such as GORE-TEX (a trademark of W.L. Gore and Associates, Inc.). All layers combined must provide a thermal protection performance (xe2x80x9cTPPxe2x80x9d) rating of at least 35.
Firefighter garments are designed to be worn in the hostile environment in which fires are fought. In addition to the intense heat encountered in fighting fires and the constant wetting of the garment that results from the firefighting action, the outer shell of a firefighter garment can become caked with mud or other material or may absorb other undesirable materials, some of which may be flammable, may ultimately degrade the garment or may result in permanent staining.
In addition, the thermal barrier and moisture barrier of the inner liner of the garment may absorb perspiration moisture from the wearer generated during the intense physical exertion expended during fire fighting activities. Either or both of the moisture barrier and thermal barrier also may become impregnated with liquid or other material that may impede the ability of the inner liner to function. Furthermore, either or both of the moisture barrier and thermal barrier may become damaged or worn, thus creating a breach in the protection of the inner liner. However, typically the moisture barrier possesses a shorter useful life than the thermal barrier or outer shell, thereby necessitating its repair or replacement on a more frequent basis than those other components. In addition, the moisture barrier is more difficult to repair and to seal off the repairs in order to maintain the integrity of the moisture barrier.
As a result, routine laundering and repair of firefighter garments is necessary in order to remove the undesirable materials deposited or absorbed by the outer shell as well as the inner liner or to repair rips or punctures. With present firefighter garment designs, it is possible to separate the inner liner from the outer shell so that either the inner liner or the outer shell may be laundered, repaired or replaced at one time. However, with respect to the inner liner, it is not possible to separate the moisture barrier from the thermal barrier easily; rather, it is necessary literally to deconstruct the garment by removing the stitches attaching those two components of the inner liner togetherxe2x80x94a costly and time-consuming operation.
Accordingly, both components, comprising the entire inner liner, must be removed from service together and laundered simultaneously as a unit. Since it is the moisture barrier that possesses the shortest useful life, it is the moisture barrier that requires the most frequent repair or replacement. However, since the moisture barrier is not easily and readily separable from the thermal barrier of such garments, in many cases both the thermal barrier and moisture barrier are removed from service, which increases the overall maintenance cost of the garment beyond what would result if, for example, the moisture barrier alone were to be removed. Accordingly, there is a need for a firefighter garment in which the inner liner components can be removed and repaired selectively.
The present invention is a garment, which may be a hazardous duty garment, having an inner liner that includes a moisture barrier that is separable from the thermal barrier. As a result, the thermal barrier or moisture barrier may be selectively removed from service as needed and repaired. In addition, if either of the thermal barrier or moisture barrier is damaged (e.g., punctured or ripped), that component may be replaced quickly without the necessity of replacing the entire inner liner or removing the entire inner liner from service for an extended period of time.
In one embodiment, the hazardous duty garment may be in the form of a firefighter garment that includes an outer shell of a heat and flame resistant material and a removable inner liner. The inner liner includes an outer moisture barrier layer removably attached to an inner thermal barrier layer about the peripheries of the two components. The inner liner preferably may be attached to the outer shell by conventional means such as strips of hook and loop material and slide fasteners so that the entire inner liner may be removed from the outer shell easily. The moisture barrier may be removably attached to the thermal liner by strips of hook and loop material and slide fasteners.
This embodiment may take the form of various firefighter garments, such as a turnout coat, a turnout pant, jumpsuit, pullover parka and the like. Special attachment designs may be employed for the interface between the moisture barrier and thermal barrier. In one embodiment, the inner liner of the coat includes a front opening attached to the edge of the front opening of the outer shell by a slide fastener. The slide fastener may be attached to the thermal barrier that, in turn, may be attached to the moisture barrier by a slide fastener. An additional strip of moisture barrier material may overlie the slide fastener connection between the thermal barrier and moisture barrier so that the moisture-resistant integrity of the garment is not compromised along that interface.
Similarly, the collar portion of the inner liner may be attached to the outer shell by strips of hook and loop material. The thermal barrier may be attached to the moisture barrier at that point by strips of hook and loop material as well.
The hem of the inner liner may include a connecting mechanism, such as peripheral strips of hook and loop material, connecting the moisture barrier with the thermal barrier. The sleeves of the inner liner may terminate in cuffs in which the thermal barrier includes an extension releasably attached to the moisture barrier and outer shell by strips of hook and loop material. In addition, the thermal barrier may include a wristlet attached to its inner periphery. That extension preferably is comprised of a layer of face cloth material covering a layer of thermal barrier material that has low moisture absorbent characteristics, such as an apertured foam.
The objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.